The present evolution of data-communication is such that more and more users are gaining access to the Internet worldwide. Internet has become a source of knowledge, but also a marketplace for business; attracting more and more users. Currently, there is significant pressure on the data-communications industry to provide solutions that allow everyone to gain access to Internet. Broadband solutions are continuously being developed; both local as well as national access networks have been planned and launched. Users are connecting to the Internet via various connection types such as fibre channels, cable TV lines, xDSL, Ethernet, GSM, UMTS, WiFi and satellite systems.
Numerous information providers are present on the Internet providing all kinds of services. The vast amount of information objects has lead to the fact that specific search engines are used by virtually all Internet users to be able to locate relevant information objects. For static and semi-static content on the Internet, there are several search engines available (e.g. Google and Yahoo) that provide comprehensive coverage over large parts of the Internet. However, currently, there is no successful method to navigate through streaming media. There is no uniform way to search the streams and by their nature they are volatile.
Seemingly ubiquitous human behaviour, not wanted in the real world, such as theft, blackmail, sabotage and violations of immaterial product and copyright rights, has spread throughout the Internet community. Currently there exists a huge debate amongst producers and consumers of digital media and amongst law enforcement organizations. Major concerns touch on what is considered legal or moral when it comes to the means of obtaining music and films.
Users on the Internet are facing a number of problems when they are about to retrieve digital objects from the net. For example, users that are looking for music face at least the following difficulties: it is not easy to locate a certain song, the song may not have the required quality, the song may cost money, the format of the song must be correct, the song may not be available instantly, the retrieval of the song may require that the users communication device is on and connected to the Internet, the communication device must have sufficient storage space available, the legal status of the song may be uncertain, the song may not be transferable to other devices (e.g. mp3 players). The same is true for other types of media such as video, text and data.
A couple of products and services have attempted to solve these problems but have been unable to fully provide users the ability to navigate and browse the vast amount of content available on modern networks such as the Internet. One of these services is Video-on-Demand (VOD). VOD service provides a selection of media files for a user to browse over a dedicated connection, such as a cable network. Unfortunately, the media files available to users must be pre-determined by the service provider and pre-loaded into the service provider's dedicated servers. This forces the VOD user into a drastically limited selection of files to view. Further, this only allows the VOD user to view files on the VOD system's dedicated device, such as a cable box, and on the dedicated system; a user cannot view the files outside of that system.
A second product that has tried to solve consumers' need for unfettered access to media is the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). One of the well known DVR products is the Tivo. These products allow a user to schedule a recording of a TV show in advance, and allow the user to use VCR-like functions when watching that show (e.g., pause, rewind, fast forward). Some cable companies have considered locating these DVRs in a central location at the cable company. Unfortunately, DVR technology suffers from serious disadvantages. First, DVRs, like VOD services, are limited to the content available on the dedicated connection those DVRs receive (e.g., satellite or cable networks). A DVR cannot actively seek out new forms of media beyond what is predetermined to be available by the dedicated service provider; not to mention being able to browse the offerings of multiple service providers. Second, DVRs are individually owned and managed, in that they require excessive bandwidth in order to operate for a vast user network. For example, if X users want to record a specific program, X connections to the media are required on the dedicated connection; this is the case regardless of location of the DVR. Third, DVRs are only able to operate because off of scheduling information the DVR receives well in advance of the scheduled recording; information that many content providers on the internet do not or cannot provide in such a manner.
Data aggregation services have also been developed. These services, some of which rely on the RDF Site Summary (RSS) feed, allow a user to receive updates or summaries of information presented on the Internet. RSS services are predominantly used in the context of blogs and news sites, where a user only wants to see new information. Unfortunately, while an RSS feed may be able to present updates to a previously subscribed news service or blog to a user, RSS technology is not able to search and aggregate media from providers unknown to the RSS user. This is because the RSS user must set-up the RSS feed to connect directly to a provider before that feed can have any effect. Another disadvantage is that the content provider must enable RSS technology on the server-side of the connection in addition to the client. Many content providers are either unable or unwilling to allow this kind of access to their content. Further, similar to the DVR product, bandwidth issues crop up in that an RSS feed is delivered to each user individually.
Applicants have identified that there are several problems in the present way of accessing the Internet and searching for specific digital objects and subsequently obtaining them because of several reasons described above and hereunder. Several novel solutions have been devised to overcome these problems.
Other problems and drawbacks also exist.